A Riot ban followed a used Ryzen CPU to its new owner, but something is not adding up

Key Points:

• A Valorant player reported being banned immediately after installing a secondhand AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU, with Riot citing the CPU's serial number as blacklisted due to previous cheating activity.
• Riot Games disputes claims that entire PCs are banned due to one blacklisted component, stating hardware ID bans are game-specific and last no more than four months, with support providing ban duration details.
• The user also noted other PC components were blacklisted, complicating resolution through seller complaints, but Riot says such inherited hardware bans are extremely rare, with fewer than a dozen cases encountered.
• Riot's anti-cheat system, Vanguard, has faced criticism for strict kernel-level enforcement, TPM 2.0 requirements, and firmware update mandates, which have sometimes caused technical conflicts and player concerns.
• Riot can re-evaluate hardware ID bans via support channels and applies bans to cybercafes only when multiple users on the same hardware cheat repeatedly.